But if you think unconventional food trends are a thing of the internet, you’d be surprised. As it turns out, taking an out-of-the-box cooking approach has been happening for almost five decades, and some of these have stood the test of time. 

Food & Wine compiled a list in 2022, and it included many current favorites like fondue. Originally, this delicacy came with Swiss cheese, where people dipped hunks of bread into a vat of melted cheese using long forks. Then, the American influence came in the early 1960s, ushering in the birth of the chocolate fondue.

Molten chocolate cake also made the Food & Wine list of game-changing unique food trends. Jean-Georges Vongerichten is the mad scientist behind this indulgent delicacy, something he came up with in 1987. But it wasn’t until four years later that it received widespread appreciation. 

The best part about molten lava cake is that it’s not difficult to make. Bon Appétit Senior Editor Dawn Perry summarized the process in a paragraph. 

"Molten chocolate cake is just uncooked chocolate cake. So that you're not just eating raw batter, place a truffle in the center. Then you can bake the cake all the way through, and as it bakes, the cold ganache liquifies in the center, and then you have a super-luscious interior.”

But since some photos on this list border on outrageous, remember “bacon-wrap everything”? It’s self-explanatory: you wrap every food item in fried bacon, from chicken wings and goat cheese to cannolis and s’mores. 

If you were a kid of the internet in the early 2010s, you knew of Epic Meal Time. Harley Morenstein took the bacon craze to an entirely different level with its all-bacon burger, fast-food meatloaf, and the infamous bacon weave. 

Along with the pandemic, TikTok food trends swept the globe in mid-2020. People were cooped up, had nothing to do, and one day decided to whip something up in their kitchens. 

The dalgona coffee craze will be a list-topper for many. It’s been around since the late ’90s in Macau, but took off during global lockdowns where everyone had nothing but time. Photos of different renditions made its presence all over social media.

There was also the “TikTok sandwich,” a.k.a. the one-pan sandwich. You pour three scrambled eggs into a pan, add two slices of white bread in the middle, and wrap the bread with the eggs once they cook. You can add cheese and bacon if you wish. 

It is a simple, filling dish that gets the job done. You also get it done using one pan. That convenience made it a strong favorite among many home cooks during the pandemic.

For those who have a sweet tooth, you must vividly remember hot chocolate bombs. For this decadent treat, take a chocolate sphere filled with marshmallows and candy sprinkles, drop it in a mug, and then pour steaming hot milk over it. In a matter of seconds, it cracks open like a piñata. 

Hot chocolate bombs eventually got everyone hooked, and they were a treat for those making a living from them. New Jersey chocolatier Lori Waiser described them as something that “adds instant joy to someone’s life.”

“These are taking me close to 15 minutes apiece [to make], and someone’s dissolving it in less than 20 seconds,” she told the New York Times. 

Then there was the pancake cereal, essentially bite-sized versions you could eat in a bowl. Back in a time when "food mashups" were at their peak, this was part of the highly recommended list. 

Mini pancakes, as they're otherwise known, became so popular that they eventually came in quick-and-easy packs. Brooklyn-based retail chain Belgian Boys brought this viral trend to life, and it's garnered mostly positive reviews so far.

Here’s a slight problem with popular food trends: everyone is on board without thinking about how it affects their well-being. And this has gotten the attention of health professionals. Registered dietitian Daisy Mercer, for one, isn’t completely sold on the supposed effectiveness of liquid cleansing.  

“In certain cases, a temporary liquid diet may be effective in treating certain medical conditions when deemed appropriate by a healthcare professional,” she told My Fitness Pal. “In most other cases, your digestive system does not need a break, and this does not help rid the body of ‘toxins.’”